The Sacred Jewels
by Writing-Angel18
Summary: With the search for the jewel shards over, a new threat arises. The world is once again in danger. A new journey begins with some new additions to the group. R&R [This summary sucks. Read to find out more.]
1. Awakening

Writing_Angel18: Wow, this is the first time I've ever posted my work. I'm excited. Hope you enjoy. R&R.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of InuYasha, but the new characters come from my own creative mind.

The Sacred Jewels

Chapter One: Awakening

            Rin skipped ahead of her lord happily. Sessomaru walked patiently, thinking of nothing in particular. Although he did have the strange feeling of something not right in the area they were in. Jaken was just as quiet. He knew that his lord was being cautious.  Something was amiss. Even Ah and Un were sniffing the air for danger. The Tenseiga pulsed once, then twice.  

Sessomaru stopped. "Rin, come here."

Yes, milord," she said as she ran to him. "Is something the matter?"

"Shut up girl. Can't you see he's busy?" Jaken looked up at Sessomaru. "Milord?"

                Sessomaru looked around. Something was wrong. Why had his sword pulsed? He sensed it sending out to someone, or something. He turned to his left. An ancient temple stood. He noticed a light briefly shine from the opening in front. Something was in there. Something evil.

"Come. I sense something within that temple."

"Yes milord. Come Ah and Un." Rin jumped onto their head.

"Hey, don't forget about me," said Jaken running to catch up.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

                Her hand jerked. Soon her sleepy blue eyes opened. Her head was pounding. Had she been unconscious? She flopped onto her back. Her limbs refused to obey her commands to move. She turned her head to the side. Against the wall was a young woman. No, it was a female demon. She knew this demon. Her head throbbed again and she groaned. What happened? Why couldn't she think straight?

From another part of the room a male voice spoke up. "What the hell is going on?" 

The young woman looked to where the voice was coming from.  Her eyes widened. An image flashed in her mind. _Swords clashed. Magic twirled around. A person slams into a wall. A person falls to the ground. A man screams in anguish as he collapses._ Her spell had worked.  She had stopped the fight temporarily. But what spell had she used? It wasn't her spell. It had been the jewel. It had stopped them all. How? Why? It had caused the fight. It had caused the pain.

"Nayru?" The female demon was on hands and knees now. One of her clawed hands held her stomach. Her violet eyes were partially hidden by silver bangs.  Her long silver hair was tied back into a high ponytail.  She grimaced as she tried to stand on her wobbly legs. "Are you…okay…Nayru?"

The young woman sat up shakily. "I think so." She looked her friend. "How about you Aki?"

"I've been better. So has he."

Nayru looked over at the man. He was standing now. Holding an injured arm against his side. His black hair was a mess. His brown eyes were burning with anger. Talon was his name. The traitor to their village. The traitor to the jewels. Anger flared inside her. How could he be seduced? How could he betray his friends? How could he…No, she wouldn't let herself think that way anymore. He was still her friend. He was just not himself. She had to find a way to save him. But before she could do that, she would have to calm Akia. Her friend was the angriest. She was the most betrayed.

Akia walked forward to Talon slowly. "Where were we?" She bent to the ground and retrieved her sword. "Ah yes. I was about to prove just how wrong you were to kill all those innocent people. And how wrong you were to assume I would just let you continue." She lifted the sword shakily.

Talon summoned his sword into his uninjured hand. "Don't make me hurt you Akia. I don't want to hurt you. You're not my target."

"Too late. I'm hurt. More than you know Talon." She walked forward faster. "I hope you're ready to fight me because I won't hold back."

                Nayru watched her friend ran forward in anger. She couldn't let her fight. They were all too weak. She couldn't let Talon die. She couldn't let Akia cause herself any more pain. She stood up. She held her hands out to her side.

"Spirits of the waters aid me." Her long black hair flowed around her. "Wall of Serenity." 

                A wall of water quickly rose from the ground, separating Akia and Talon. Akia growled. Talon smirked. Nayru fell to her knee. The spell was too strong for her in her weakened state. She looked over at the two fighters. Talon had sheathed his sword and Akia was tightly gripping hers.

"How long do you think this wall will hold Nayru." He laughed. "Your power is weak now. This wall will fall in a matter of seconds. Then I'll come for you."

                Nayru looked lazily at the entrance to the temple as a male figure appeared into the shadows. Then man had long silver hair. He looked so regal. Nayru almost fell forward, but placed her hands on the ground before her before she could. She looked at the stranger. He was a demon. She could tell. He had stripes on the sides of his face and pointy ears. And most noticeable was the claws he had. Why was this demon here? Was he here to help?

Author's Note: Okay, so that's chapter 1. I'm in the process of making the second one right now. Please tell me what you think so far.


	2. Saved

Writing_Angel18: So here's chapter 2. I'm only going to say, "Hope you enjoy!" R&R

Disclaimer: InuYasha belongs to someone else. Nayru, Talon, Akia (Aki for short), and the five sacred jewels are all mine. (As well as anything else I think up later.)

The Sacred Jewels 

****

**Chapter Two: Saved**

****

            Kagome walked silently behind InuYahsa and the others. She was caught up in thinking about the recent event they had gone through. The search for the shards was over. But some strange feeling was nagging her. Was all the danger really over? While pondering this, she bumped into Sango who had abruptly stopped.

"Sorry Sango." She noticed the young woman looking around, gripping her large weapon. "Umm…is something wrong?"

Sango continued to glance around. "Something's happening."

Miroku was gripping his staff as he too looked around. "A battle is taking place. Do you sense it InuYasha?"

InuYasha sniffed the air. He smelled blood. He also smelled his demon brother nearby. Something was going on. He ran ahead. Was his brother the cause? Probably. InuYasha would have to take care of the matter. He heard people running behind him. The others were trying to catch up. They continued running until they reached a temple.

InuYasha saw the little girl who followed Sesshoumaru as well as his dragon and Jaken. "So he is here."

Kagome stopped next to him. She had her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "What's…wrong?"

"I could smell my brother's scent here. I smelled blood as well."

Miroku walked closer to Rin. "Why are you here?"

Rin sat up straight on the back of Ah and Un. "Lord Sesshoumaru sensed danger. He came to see what was going on."

InuYasha growled. "Oh really? Well, I'll see about that 'danger' if you don't mind." He ran into the temple.

"Well, I guess we should go in. Can't let him take on his brother by himself." Miroku calmly followed.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "The fun never ends around here."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Akia was staring at the wall of water still. Behind her stood the demon that had identified himself as Sesshoumaru. She finally stopped waiting for the wall to disappear and turned around. Her body had finally regained most of its energy, which was good for her so she would be able to fight. She sheathed her sword.

"We don't need your help. We were perfectly fine on our own." Akia crossed her arms.

Sesshoumaru looked at the female demon. "Really? When I walked in here you two looked nearly dead to me."

"Well, I'm fine now." She looked over to Nayru, who was now walking over to them. "And so is she."

Nayru grinned. "I'm surprised I could muster up enough energy to summon the Wall of Serenity." She looked over at Talon. A frown appeared on her lips. "Talon is probably stronger too. He'll be able to destroy the wall soon."

Sesshoumaru looked at the young woman. "How were you able to do that?"

"Oh…well…"

Akia interrupted her. "That's not important now. We've got to figure out how to deal with him once he gets free. With him still having the powers of the jewel, he's much stronger than us."

"Yet you were going to attack him earlier," stated the demon lord.

"I figured that I could strike him while he was weak."

Nayru shook her head. "But you were weak as well. Anything could have happened. The jewel could have given him a boost and you would have died."

            Akia looked down at her bare feet. That was true. She had thought the same thing. Nonetheless, she was ready to sacrifice herself in order to bring him down. Running footsteps echoed through the hall. All three turned to look at the entrance. A young man with dog-ears and long silver hair came running in followed by three young humans and a little fox child. They stopped and stood in defensive poses.

"What's going on here? A demon get together to plan on how to spread chaos…"

"Why are you here little brother?" Sesshoumaru turned to him.

Akia growled. "We don't need more people to get involved. You all should just leave." 

            Before anyone could reply, laughter filled the room. Water suddenly shot out everywhere. Akia kneeled and covered her head. Tiny electric streaks zoomed around the room. She heard one of the two human girls scream as she got shocked. She felt a pain shoot through her body as she too was hit. What the hell was going on?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Nayru was also on the floor covering her head. She peered out at Talon. He was standing with his arms crossed, smirking. He moved only his eyes to look at her. She saw something flash in those angry green eyes. Was it regret for hurting her and Akia? Could be. Talon wasn't completely under the jewel's control. She knew this from the fact that he had many opportunities to kill the two women, but never did. There was hope to save him. But at what cost?

Nayru stood. "Stop it Talon." She was almost shocked, but summoned up a temporary shield to protect herself. "Do not make me hurt you."

Talon laughed. "You say that every time. Then you try to hurt me with your magic." He raised an arm. "But you never can." Power gathered at his hand. "When will you learn that I'm stronger than you?"

            Nayru prepared herself. She held out her hands in front of her, palms facing forward. Two jewels hung on from a bracelet on each wrist. One was red, like fire. The other was blue, like water. They began to glow. Around her neck hung a chain with two more jewels. A green one, like the earth, and a white one. Those two began to glow as well. She narrowed her eyes.

"I won't let you hurt anyone."

"That's alright. I'm just going after you. I want those jewels." He thrust his hand forward, sending the energy right at Nayru.

"Nayru, now!" Akia rolled out of the way. Sesshoumaru leapt aside.

            The jewels got brighter. From her hands, light shot out. Talon's eyes widened in surprise. A jewel hanging from his own neck flashed. The energy Nayru had sent exploded. The energy he had sent was now right in front of Nayru. Tenseiga pulsed. Light filled the room.

Talon only laughed, louder than before. "It seems that this jewel is more powerful than yours combined. I wonder how strong they'll be when all five are together."

            The light faded. Everyone looked around. On the floor was Nayru, laying motionless. Her hair covered her face. Akia stood, eyes wide. Behind her, the visitors were confused about everything. Talon walked forward.

"Did you think she'd be able to defeat me Akia?" Talon was speaking to her gently. "You still have a chance to join me."

Akia could sense him getting closer. "Stay away from me!" She looked down. Her eyes filled with tears and her fists clenched tightly.

Talon stopped. "Do you hate me that much now? I have spared your life too many times, don't make me change my mind."

"You killed my best friend Talon. What makes you think I'd just forget that and help you?" Akia turned halfway to him. Tears finally sliding down her cheeks. "First you turn on. Then you kill the one person who tried to stop me and everyone else from killing you." She reached for her sword. "I think it's time to end all this now."

"Stop!"

Everyone turned to where the shout came from.

Nayru was pushing herself up from the ground. Her hair hung loosely around her face now. "We can't beat him Aki. Just back off for now."

Akia let go of her sword. "You're alive?"

Talon sneered. "How is that possible?" He shrugged and turned around. "No matter. I'll just try again next time." He walked off, vanishing.

Nayru stood up. "It saved me," she said to Sesshoumaru. Akia went to help support her.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Your sword saved me." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Author's Note:** So that's chapter two. I had it done earlier, but I didn't like it so I rewrote it. Anyways, it's snowed today. Perfect time to write. Hopefully I can finish the next chapter today. Don't know. It would be awesome though. Oh, and here are my responses to two reviews I got earlier:

Black Silver: You reviewed the story when I first posted it. The reason it was in all caps was because I forgot to save it as an HTML file so a problem occurred. I resaved it and then posted it up again. Sorry bout that.

Heaven-Sent515: Thanks for the compliment. The jewels in this story are ones I made up a little while ago. I was daydreaming at school when the idea came to me. There are five jewels I made up that will be explained later when I figure out when that time should be. Probably next chapter. As for posting more, hopefully ASAP as long as school doesn't get tougher than it already is. (I still don't understand why I let my councilor talk me into joining the hardest program at school. Oh well, I'm doing good anyways.) Thanks again for the post. Hope you continue reading my story.

**Author's Second Note:** Please review. Input from others is always good.


	3. Years Ago

**Writing-Angel18:** Sup readers? I'm on a writer's rush right now. Some new ideas are just spilling outta my head. It's actually pretty cool. Getting back to business now, this chapter isn't going to be quite as serious as the previous two.  I'm adding a little bit of humor.  Just a teeny bit. Oh, and a little bit of things going on will be explained.  Only a little.  Why tell you everything now?  That would make the rest of the story boring right? Of course it would. Okay, enough rambling.  Here's chapter 3.

**Disclaimer:** No, InuYasha is not my creation! But this story and the new stuff are.

The Sacred Jewels 

****

**Chapter Three: Years Ago**

****

"Here you go Akia.  Eat it while it's still warm."

            Akia accepted the cup of noodles from Kagome. It felt warm against her hands and smelled good. She stirred the noodles with the fork and pulled up some noodles. She took a bite and almost gagged. Nayru laughed.

            "Um…Aki…it's hot."

Akia was fanning her mouth, but stopped to reply. "Gee, guess I should have guessed on my own that a food I've never tried before just might be extremely hot."  She picked up her noodles again, but this time blew on it for a while. "What is this anyways?"

            InuYasha spoke with his mouth full of noodles. "Ramen. Good stuff."

            Sesshoumaru didn't accept Kagome's offer of food. "Enough of this. I want to know exactly what was happening in that temple."

            Nayru looked at Akia. Both were thinking the same thing. Better to start from the beginning. Nayru stood up. She brushed the dirt from her long, dark blue dress. She brushed loose strands of hair from her face. Akia remained on the ground. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes. Everyone looked at the two, awaiting an answer.

            Nayru looked into the fire that had been built. "We were on our way to retrieve a sword that Akia was getting repaired. It had been broken in a previous battle with Talon."

            "After we got the sword, we were heading back to our village. That's when we noticed some people running from the temple." Akia made a low growling noise. "He was having a little fun torturing some locals who had been at the temple praying."

            "Actually, I think he knew we were going to be passing by that temple and decided to lure us there."

            "Whatever."

            Kagome looked at the female demon. The demon had pointy ears similar to Sesshoumaru's. Blue stripes started at the corner of her eyes and ended close to her ears.  Her long hair was now braided tightly and draped over her shoulder. A fury tail was wrapped around her waist. Her attitude was similar to InuYasha's in a way. But one thing surprised Kagome about the demon? She was at ease with humans. Her best friend was one. As far as Kagome knew, demons hated humans. Well, most demons. What kind of demon was she anyways? She'd ask later. Right now she needed to hear their story.

            Nayru continued. "We went to the temple to investigate the disturbance we felt. That's when we encountered Talon and the fight began."

            "But what about our blackout?" Akia opened her eyes to look at the woman. "One minute we're fighting, the next we're drifting off. Were we asleep?"

            Nayru contemplated this. "I have an idea of what might have happened."

            Everyone waited.

            "The jewel put some sort of spell on us."

            Miroku looked at her curiously. "What sort of spell?"

            "One that caused us to sleep or something. Whatever it was caused us to be unconscious for a long time."

            InuYasha was now confused. "How long?"

            "Not sure. I know it had to be over many years."

            Everyone was shocked.

            Sesshoumaru spoke up first. "How can you know that if you were both unconscious?"

            Akia came to a realization after remembering the look of the temple. "The temple had aged. It looked older."

            Nayru nodded. "I don't know how we could have been in that place for so long and have nothing happen to us." She closed her eyes in thought. "That jewel he has is still a mystery. There's so much we still don't understand about it."

            Akia finally stood. "That's why we need to get it back. You see what happens when it's in the wrong hands. No telling what else could happen the longer he has it. He could unlock some unknown power from it and doom us all."

            Kagome looked thoughtful. "What exactly is this jewel your talking about?"

            A voice from the forest answered them. "The Destiny Jewel."

* * *

**Writing_Angel18:** Whoa! Who could this voice belong to? Oh the suspense. Well, guess you'll have to wait till the next chapter. Just to let you know, there's gonna be some action in the next one. I've only done a couple of action scenes before so I'm not sure how good it'll be. Oh yeah…please review. Gotta know what people think. Bye for now.

**P.S.** I'm writing this along with an original story I've been working on little by little, which still has no title. All I'm gonna say is that it's a fantasy/magic type and it's turning out to be good. Well, gotta do chapter 4 now.


	4. Scattered

**Writing-Angel18:** Hi! I'm so happy right now. My birthday is coming up. Whoo-hoo! Anyways, I'm liking this story. It's fun to write. You're here to read chapter 4 right? Right. Well, here it is.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha in case anyone was wondering. And to let you people know who don't already know, the new stuff is all my own creation.

The Sacred Jewels 

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**Chapter Four: Scattered**

****

            Everyone turned to the location of the voice. A male figure appeared in the shadows. He walked calmly towards the group. Nayru and Akia narrowed their eyes. Could it be Talon? As the person walked closer, they all could see it was that it was…

            "It's Talon!" Shippo jumped into Kagome's arms. "What's he doing here?"

            InuYasha cracked his knuckles. "Probably here for those jewels. Or Akia since he showed such interest in both before in the temple."

            Sesshoumaru calmly stood off to the side with Rin, Jaken, and Ah and Un. Miroku held his staff at his side, ready for the fight to begin. Sango had a hand on her weapon, ready to use it when the time came. Kagome had her arrow ready. Akia was in a defensive pose, claws sharp and ready to strike. 

Nayru was standing in front of the group. An aura surrounded her body. She looked calm, but inside she was anxious. She wouldn't allow him to harm anyone. She was ready to fight him, even if the jewel overpowered her.

Talon finally stopped walking a few feet ahead of the group. "The Destiny Jewel is one of the five sacred jewels. It's the most powerful. Not even the other four combined can match it."

Nayru calmly stared at him. "You're not getting them from me. I swore to protect them and I intend to."

Talon grinned. "Really? But doesn't protecting the jewels also include this one." He held the jewel up from the chain around his neck. He didn't need to. He wasn't wearing a shirt under his black vest. "Might as well hand those other four to me. You can't protect them now that I have this one."

Nayru glared at him. "I don't know how you got it, but you won't be keeping it for long. I may not have the power to beat it, but I have enough to beat you. Not all of its power has been given to you yet."

"That may be so Nayru, but I'll find out how to get that power as well as the power from the jewels you possess. Then I'll be more powerful than anyone."

Akia growled loudly. "Over my dead body Talon."

Talon looked at her. "Not likely Akia. I told you I don't want to hurt you." He looked around at the group. "I take it you all want to battle me." He grabbed his sword and held it out in front of him. "Fine. Show me how weak you all are."

Akia was the first to move forward. She drew out her sword as she leapt up in the air. She brought it down swiftly at Talon, but met his sword. The swords sparked when the blades met. Akia let out a growl when she noticed talon grinning. She pushed hard on her sword, causing him to step back. 

InuYasha ran forward with Tetsusaiga. Talon sneered and backed away from Akia. She landed on the ground on one knee. Talon held up a hand to create a barrier. InuYasha was thrown back instantly. Talon laughed and ran towards the fallen half-demon.

Kagome shot an arrow, which landed in front of Talon forming a brief barrier in front of InuYasha. Sango took the chance to swing her weapon out at him. He was too late notice and was hit in the chest. The jewel had provided some protection for him, but he still felt some pain.

Nayru held up the hand with the red jewel. Fire twirled around her on the ground. She brought her arm out around to the side and behind her. Then she swung it around to the front, sending fire shooting out at Talon. He saw it coming and leapt away. Nayru closed her hand and the fire disappeared instantly.

Akia stood up, holding her sword in front of her. "Hey InuYasha, if we attack at the same time, maybe we could hit him."

InuYasha stood up. "Worth a try."

Both of them prepared to charge. Kagome prepared to shoot another arrow. Sango gripped her weapon, which had returned to her. Nayru held her hands out to her sides. Light began to twirl around her entire body. The two silver haired beings charged forward. Both were growling loudly. Talon's eyes widened.

Akia struck first. Both of their blades met once again. InuYasha took the chance to attack. The jewel around Talon's neck didn't allow the blade to cut, but the force sent Talon flying back. Kagome shot her arrow straight at him. He held up his hand and sent it flying somewhere else. Before he could do anything else, Sango's large weapon was flying at him again. Again the jewel protected him, sending the weapon flying off to the side. Suddenly Nayru ran in front of him, holding her hands to her sides. Energy engulfed both her hands. Talon's eyes flared with fear and anger. Nayru swung her hands to the front, but was met with a flash of energy from the Destiny jewel. Bright light surrounded them both. Suddenly four streaks of light zoomed off in separate directions.

The light faded. Nayru was on her knees. Talon was gone.

Akia looked around. "What just happened? Where did he go?"

Nayru stood up, back turned to them all. She was looking at her now bare wrists. Even the jewelry from around her neck was gone. She closed her eyes. She had failed. The jewels were gone.

"He vanished. He's probably off somewhere healing now." Nayru turned to them.

Akia didn't like the sadness in her friend's voice. "What's wrong Nayru?"

"They're gone."

Kagome gasped. "He got them?" She still didn't understand why they were so important. None of them except the two women did. But she knew they were important.

Nayru shook her head. "No."

"Then what happened to them?" Sesshoumaru had returned to the group. He hadn't wanted to fight. There was no reason to. He didn't owe them anything.

"Didn't you notice the lights that flew out?" She closed her eyes. "They were scattered."

Akia frowned. "Why would Talon do that? He wants them."

Nayru opened her eyes. "He didn't do it. The Destiny jewel did. It's trying to keep them away from him."

* * *

**Writing-Angel18:** Wow! Pretty intense stuff. I had fun doing this chapter. Listening to Static X helped my action side come out. So what do you guys think? Let me know. My next chapter is on its way.


	5. Getting Acquainted

**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha. The new stuff is mine. Ask for permission if you want to borrow anything from this story that's my original stuff.

The Sacred Jewels 

****

**Chapter Five: Becoming Acquainted**

****

            InuYasha and the others, excluding Sesshoumaru, stared at the young woman who was pacing back and forth nervously. Every once in a while she would stop and sigh, or curse under her breathe. Ever since the fight the previous night, she had been silent. Akia didn't even know what could possibly be going on in her friend's mind. If she were were Nayru, she would be out searching for the jewels. But of course, nobody had any clue as to where to start so they were waiting for a suggestion of what to do.

            Akia rolled her violet eyes and turned around. She plopped down on to the groud and crossed her arms. No point in standing around all day waiting. InuYasha and Kagome looked at each other. Both silently nodded and sat in front of the female demon. Akia looked at them curiously.

            Kagome decided to speak first. "So what's your name?"

            Akia cocked her head to the side. Didn't the human hear her name spoken before?

            The teenager understood the look. "Oh, it's just I heard 'Akia' and 'Aki' so I was wondering which is really your name."

            "Akia. People call me Aki for short. Nayru and…well Nayru started it. She said it suited me better." She shrugged. "So what is you name?"

            Kagome smiled. "I'm Kagome. And this dog boy is InuYasha."

            InuYasha's eye twitched. "Do you have to call me dog boy?"

            "Sorry. It slipped." Kagome held back a laugh.

            Akia looked at him. She noticed his dog ears on top of his head. Strange. She'd never seen any demon like this before. His scent was even different than that of a pure demon. _Is he a half-breed,_ she asked herself. She suddenly gave in to a sudden urge. She sat on her knees and leaned forward to him. She grabbed his ears and pulled.

            "Hey," he shouted. He pushed her away angrily.

            Akia looked sheepish. "Sorry. I couldn't resist. I've never seen anything like that before."

            Kagome was laughing hysterically. "Don't worry. I think everybody gets the urge to do that."

            InuYasha huffed. "Well everyone should learn to hold it in. Next person to try is going to pay."

            Akia sat up straight again. "Don't worry. Urge is long gone. By they way, what kind of demon are you?"

            A voice to her left answered. "A half breed."

            "Thank you brother, but who asked you?"

            Sesshoumaru walked into view of the three. "Don't be angry at me for your misfortune little brother."

            Akia raised an eyebrow. "Brothers? But your definitely full demon and he's half."

            "I was born from to demon parents. My father later had a child with a human woman. We are merely half brothers."

            "Now it makes sense." She looked at InuYasha. "What kind?"

            He looked at her questioningly. "Huh?"

            "What kind of demon?"

            "Oh. Dog demon. Well, half." He looked at Sesshoumaru angrily. "So is he. But full blooded."

            Kagome remembered her question from the previous night. "And what kind are you Aki?"

            Hearing her nickname said by someone she barely knew startled the young demon. "Um…the same actually."

            Both demons glanced at her. She had the features. Pointy ears, face markings, and the tail. InuYasha noticed she had violet, slanted eyes. She even had the scent of one. Why hadn't they noticed before? 

            Kagome spoke again. "I'm guessing full blooded because of your reaction to InuYasha."

            "Yes. As far as I know I'm all dog demon blood."

            The demon lord turned to her. "I've never seen you before."

            "I'm not surprised. I've been in some sort of hibernation for some time now."

            Sango joined the group, followed by Shippo and Miroku. Sesshoumaru left the group. Everyone shared a little of information with the female dog demon. Excpet for InuYasha who just sat there, arms crossed, listening.

~*~*~*~*~*~*A little while later~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Akia was not used to being questioned about herself. She lay under a tree thinking to herself. Memories of her younger self flashed in her mind. Why were they being so accepting of her? Humans never really reacted so nice to her. They usually avoided being near her. Luckily, some of them had seen passed her demon blood and saw the other part of her. They had seen the kind friendly girl who just wanted to be accepted. Nayru had been one of the first people she met, and her best friend. They were like sisters.

            The village. Her home for most of her life. When her mother began to fear her safety, she sought a place to leave her child. She had come across a village that surrounded a temple. She begged them to take her in as their own. The elders of that village discussed for hours until they reached a decision. They took her in, but not without reservations. The girl was a demon. True, she still was young and could adjust to leaving peacefully with the humans, but what if her demon blood denied that chance? Only two of the elders welcomed her with open arms, along with a woman named Kaia. Kaia was the mother of Nayru, and a very important person in the village.

            Akia rubbed her eyes. She looked at her outfit. It was the uniform of a warrior from the village she was from. A sort of dress outfit that ended just above her knees with slits on each side and black shorts underneath. The dress reached up just past her neck. Below the front of the neck, the dress was open just above the chest area. It was white, with a black stripe going down either side of her, ending at the black sash tied around her waist. A sword was at her right hip. On the back of her outfit was a pattern consisting of five odd symbols. They represented the sacred jewels. She wore no shoes. Her hair was still tied in a tight braid with a small black cloth.

She thought back to before the spell was cast by the Destiny jewel. Last she remembered she was around nineteen years old. Where had all the time gone? Why did the jewel cause them to "sleep" for so long? She looked up at the sky. She wished for her life to return back to the way it was. She wanted to be back at the village training to become stronger in order to protect. She wanted the jewels to be back in the hands of their guardian. She wanted Talon to be back to being the kind, strong, loving, person he was before the jewel had seduced him. She wanted everything to be right again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Nayru had finally stopped pacing and was now sitting by a nearby river. She was still torn about failing to protect the jewels. She closed her eyes and listened to the running water. She could sense the different fish inside their home. On the other side of the river, she sensed a deer drinking. The deer was soon joined by a younger one. Above she could sense the birds flying happily. Everything was perfect to these creatures. They didn't have to worry about anything except predators, shelter, and food. A sigh escaped her lips.

            Suddenly she felt the presence of a little girl. Her eyes opened and met a pair of innocent ones. A little girl with hair pulled back in a ponytail held a flower out to the woman. She smiled as the flower was accepted. She sat down next to her, still smiling. Nayru looked at her curiously. The little girl looked back at her happily.

            "My name is Rin. What is your name?"

            Nayru still had a curious look in her eyes. "Nayru."

            The little girl smiled even more. "Nice to meet you Nayru. I didn't get a chance to talk to you earlier because you were busy." She lost her precious smile. "Are you still sad?"

            The woman looked at the flowing river again. "A little I guess. I've lost the things I swore would always stay with me. I was supposed to protect them."

            Rin moved a little closer to the woman. She looked at her closely and noticed a tear begin to fall from her eyes. "Don't cry." 

She grabbed Nayru's slender hand and moved it closer so that the flower she held was near her nose. The woman inhaled the scent. It was wonderful. She's hadn't smelled flowers like this in a long time. She grinned and looked at the girl. The girl was smiling again.

            "Better?"

            Nayru nodded. "Thank you Rin."

            The girl blushed pink. "Whenever I feel sad or lonely, I smell flowers or sing a song to myself. Then I begin to feel better because I realize that there is so much wonderful things around me."

            "You're very smart Rin." She smiled warmly. "I sing to myself as well. And sometimes I just close my eyes and feel what's around me."

            Rin cocked her head thoughtfully. "You have a pretty smile."

            Now Nayru blushed, but a darker pink.

            "Wanna hear a song I learned on my travels with Lord Sesshoumaru?"

            "Sure. Then I'll teach you one I was taught by an eleder from my village."

            Both of them sat by the river, staring at the colorful fish swimming by. Rin began her song. Nayru smiled to herself. Both of them closed their eyes. Rin continued her song. She leaned onto Nayru's arm. Nayru smelled the flower again. From somewhere behind them, a certain demon aristocrat watched curiously.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Writing-Angel18:** I like this chapter. It gives a little in sight into the two new characters. I didn't want to give away too much just yet. Notice how I didn't say anymore about Kaia, the jewels, or the village. That will all sneak in later. For now, tell me what you think of how things are going with the story right now. Keep checking for updates.


	6. The Guardian, the Warriors, and the Jewe...

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own InuYasha. Keep in mind that this story comes straight from my own imagination and shall in now way be used by anyone unless permission is given by me. This story and all new things in it, such as characters and places, belong to me. The Sacred Jewel 

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**Chapter Six: The Guardian, the Warriors, and the Jewels**

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            Night was here. Everyone was once again gathered around a fire. Akia and Nayru were off to the side whispering. Kagome sighed. The feelings she had the other day were back. The shikon jewel was back to being whole and was now in her protection. But something new had arisen soon after. A new threat was forming. And with it came a whole new mystery and danger. These two women were keeping things hidden from them. How could Kagome and the others help if they didn't under stand what was going on?

            She looked at the two. Akia, she had recently found out, was a full-blooded demon. The same kind of demon as InuYasha and Sesshoumaru. Kagome had later found out why the female demon was so comfortable around humans. She looked into the fire.

            _'Akia had said she grew up in the same village as Nayru. After her mother left her, Akia was alone. Luckily, the village took pity on her and took her in. How sad? Left behind by her own mother. I'm glad she met Nayru and became friends. That explains why she doesn't hate humans. But why was she so cautious of us at first? Something must have happened to her as a child.'_

            Nayru and Akia returned to the group, interrupting her thoughts.

            "We will answer any questions you may have now." Nayru folded her hands in front of her.

            Akia crossed her arms. "As long as we think it's necessary you know the answer."

            InuYasha huffed. "Like that's gonna help. What if we really need to know something and you decide not to tell us?"

            Kagome looked up. Akia and Nayru gave each other wary looks. Kagome knew that some things were better left unsaid until they felt that they could trust their new acquaintances. "That's okay InuYasha. They'll tell us all we need to know in time. Let them tell us what they wish to tell us now."

            InuYasha gave her a confused look. But he shook it off and looked forward with his eyes closed. No point in arguing with her. If she felt that way about it, then there was good reason. But that didn't mean he agreed. He wanted to know what kind of trouble they were getting into. He wasn't willing to put Kagome into any more danger now that the search for the jewel fragments was over.

            Shippo piped up. "So who are you two? I mean, what do you guys do?"

            Nayru knew this was coming. She glanced at her demon friend. Akia nodded slightly when she caught her eye. "Well, we're both protectors of the five sacred jewels."

            Akia took over. "Nayru is what our village calls the 'Guardian of the spirits.'"

            Sesshoumaru glanced at Naryu. "So that explains why Talon was after you, but how are you able to wield such power?"

            Miroku nodded. "Yes. You appear to be a human, but obviously you are not."

            Nayru was surprised. How could this monk sense the difference in her. "Actually, the jewels provide me with much of the power I use. But sometimes I wonder how I'm able to wield it. Any other human would not survive the transfer of the powers."

            "That's one of the mysteries of the guardians. Nobody can figure out why only the ancestors of the original Guardian can be the Guardian of the five sacred jewels." Akia thought for a moment. "The elders may know, but nobody's ever asked."

            "I tried once, but they told me not to worry of such things. They said the jewels worked in mysterious ways."

            Sango put her hands in her lap. "What about you Akia? What is your role in the protection of the jewels?"

            "I'm one of the warriors of the village trained to be one of the 'Guardian's Elite.' We basically protect the Guardian and the jewels."

            "So the Guardian is the most important person of the village and she or he has a group of warriors known as the Guardian's Elite," Kagome thought out loud to herself.

            Akia's ears picked it up. "Only 'her.' The Guardian is always a female as far as we know."

            Kagome almost jumped. "Oh, I'm sorry."

            "Don't worry about it. That's why we agreed to answer questions. I think that's about all you need to know about who we are."

            Nayru sat down. She looked at the ground in front of her. Some Guardian she turned out to be. The jewels were gone and she had no idea where to look. She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. She wrapped her arms around her legs to get more comfortable.

            InuYasha asked a question that had been in his head. "What are the Sacred jewels?"

            Nayru immediately answered. "The jewels created in my village long ago. Some say the four spirits of this world were bored and decided to use their powers to create something. It took most of their energy to make the jewels that exist today, so they were unable to remain on this earth. The elders told us that they live on within the jewels."

            Everyone's interests had increased.

            She continued. "The four spirits were of Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind. Before they left, they decided to bestow the power of protecting their creations to a young female who was wandering alone in the forest. This girl was from a nearby village. She had no idea about the burden she was to receive. She entered a cave, which belonged to the spirit of Fire, and found the spirits waiting. They spoke to her all about what they had done and what they wanted her to do. They told her about the danger they had unwillingly brought to this world. She accepted the responsibility. When she returned to the village, she told her parents about what had happened. They didn't believe her. Not until the day a demon came looking for her. It wanted the jewels. She fought it off with the aid of the jewels. Since that day, the jewels have remained in the care of the village."

            Everyone took a few minutes to let it all soak in. Kagome was stunned. More jewels existed that posed a threat to the world. She had a feeling that these were somehow more of a danger than the shikon is.

            InuYasha voiced the same question that had arisen in everyone's mind. "What kind of a threat do they pose?"

            Akia spoke this time. She knew Nayru needed a break. "Anyone who yields there power basically controls the elements."

            Nayru decided to further the explanation a little. "If someone were to yield them, then they basically become like a god or goddess. If that were to happen, then it would be hard to defeat them."

            "Only if they found the way to unlock the spirits power and combine with them." Akia decided to sit down. Her feet were beginning to hurt. "Don't bother asking if we know how because we don't."

            "What about the Destiny jewel?" Kagome asked quietly.

            Nayru froze. This was a whole different story to tell. "It was created by a Guardian long ago." She closed her eyes. "That Guardian was a showoff. And she wasn't weak at all. She was the most powerful of all the Guardians. She made the jewel to prove this. Like the spirits, she was weakened. The jewel was not created just by her. A demon that she had met tricked her into allowing it to help her because it saw how weak she was becoming. In reality, it wanted to kill her and steal the jewels she protected. The newly created jewel would be an added bonus. After the jewel was complete, the Guardian was too weak to protect herself from the attack of the demon. But before it could take the jewels, her warriors killed it. With both evil and good within, the jewel became the most dangerous and most powerful. It was never purified and no other Guardian has been able to. I haven't had the chance to try.

            "The jewel is very seductive. It's like it has a mind of it's own. The elders think that both the demon's and the Guardian's spirit live in it. If that is true, then that would explain why sometimes it's power tries to kill and other times it tries to protect. The Destiny jewel, along with the other four, can be combined to create an unstoppable force. For many years, demons and humans have tried to steal the Destiny jewel. They know it's the strongest. Talon was the only person who was able to get to it. He's discovered that he needs the other four to become even more powerful."

            "Luckily he hasn't been able to fully combine with the jewel, otherwise he'd have the other four and we'd be dead," stated Miroku.

            Akia nodded. "But now that the other four have disappeared, we're in even more trouble."

            Nayru opened her eyes. She stood up and looked around at the group. "We need to go to the village. The elders will be able to help."

            Kagome stood up as well. "Then we'll go with you."

            The other agreed. 

Sesshoumaru looked away. He saw Rin give a worried look to Nayru. He knew she was worried about the woman she had become friends with. "We shall go as well." He turned and walked over to Ah and Un.

Jaken ran over to him. "Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Rin happily skipped over to him. "Why did you agree milord?"

The aristocrat glanced at both of them. "Tensaiga responded to that woman. I want to know why."

The girl smiled. "Yes milord. Then Rin will help." She sat down.

**Writing-Angel18:** Man this took a lot outta me. I'm not sure how well the explanation of the jewels is, but I tried. If I notice anything confusing or that something is missing, I'll fix it. But man was it hard to do this chapter. Hope you like it though. Review and let me know your opinions. The next chapter is being constructed now. Akia has some reservations about returning to the village. Why? All I'm gonna say is it has something to do with her past. Flashbacks are on their way. In another upcoming chapter, a certain romance is reveled while another blossoms. Please review and let me know what you think of The Sacred Jewels. Till the next chapter………


	7. The Guardian's Village

**Writing-Angel18: **Help! I need name suggestions. One for Aki's sword, and some others for people. My brain is unable to think up anymore due to the fact that I've written so many fan fiction (although I gave up on them and put them in my closet…hmmm, maybe I'll take a look at them now). Anyways, here's chapter seven. READ and REVIEW!! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha. Blah blah blah. You all know the rest.

The Sacred Jewels 

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**Chapter Seven: The Guardian's Village**

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            "So the village wasn't far from the place we found you guys at."

            Akia glanced at InuYasha. "You didn't believe us?"

            He crossed his arms. "It's not that. Just that usually places we're headed for take a while to reach."

            Nayru grinned. She looked ahead of them as they continued walking. The village was about a mile ahead. Homes could be seen now. The temple, not as large as the previous one, was the most visible._ 'Wonder who the new Guardian is. Heck, I wonder if they even bothered appointing a new Guardian seeing as how I never had a daughter and the jewels were with me.'_ Nayru sighed. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Sesshoumaru glanced at the woman when he heard her sigh. She was lost in thought. He returned his gaze back to the village. Something about the young woman made him stay. Indeed he was curious about why Tensaiga had reacted, but was something else making him follow?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            They had finally reached it. The Guardian's village. Akia was surprised at how much had not changed. It looked the same as before. She saw Nayru squint her eyes. Then she noticed movement ahead. She quickly placed her hand on her sword out of reflex. She stopped. A small child came skipping to them. A little girl. Akia felt her jaw drop. She heard Nayru gasp. The others behind them were once again confused.

            The little girl stopped a foot away from the two gaping women. She looked at them carefully. Her big, innocent light brown eyes flashed with recognition. Suddenly she was dancing in a little circle happily. She stopped and smiled at them.

            "The elders said you would be back soon. They said you were on your way." She clasped her small hands in front of her.

            Akia gained control. "Mina?"

            The little looked at her funny. She started giggling. "Silly Aki. Have you forgotten me already? You've only been gone a week. Or was it two? Can't remember. All that matters is that you both are back safely."

            Nayru and Akia looked at each other confused. One or two weeks?

            "Well don't just stand there acting stupid. The elders want to speak to you both. Oh, and they said your friends are welcome to join them as well."

            The child named Mina ran forward and grabbed both their hands. She looked at the confused group behind them. She smiled. _'What funny looking people? Is that a dog boy? Oh looky. A fox. How cute? Hey, a little girl. Maybe she'll be my friend…'_ Her young mind kept going and going.

            Akia whispered from the corner of her mouth. "Do you get the strange feeling that something funny is going on?'

            Nayru nodded. "Let's go. We'll find out soon enough."

            They started walking. The still confused group followed. The little girl was skipping between the two women happily. As they entered the village, Akia and Nayru froze. Two warriors came walking towards them. One was a female with short brown hair; the other was a tall male with long brown hair that reached his midback. Both were smiling as they saw who was coming.

            "Aki? We weren't expecting you both to return so soon." The female brought her hands together and bowed to both. "Lady Guardian, glad to see you are safe."

            Akia and Nayru bowed as well. Nayru grinned weakly at the woman. "Good to see you are well Yuka. And you too Ryu."

            The male bowed. He looked at the little girl. "Mina, I thought the elders said to wait for me or Yuka before you went out to get them. You never know when a bad demon is going to show up."

            Mina looked at him innocently with puppy dog eyes. "I'm sorry Zan. I try not to do it again."

            Nayru picked the girl up. "Don't worry Zan, Aki and I would have been able to fight." She smiled at Mina. "But next time, wait like the elders told you."

            Mina nodded. "Okay Lady Nayru."

            Akia turned to the group behind them. "Follow us. We're going to the elders' hut."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            The elders' hut was near the temple. As the group went on their way, many villagers smiled and greeted them. Others briefly smiled and went back to work. Once in a while they saw guards walking around; making sure everything was in order. Children ran up to the strangers that were with Akia and Nayru. They giggled and ran off when Sesshoumaru growled as they reached out to feel his fury tail. Nayru hid a smile at that. The demon lord gave her a look.

            Akia waved goodbye to Mina as she ran off to her mother. She looked around. Nothing had changed. Not even the people. They were the same as when she had left. Nobody had aged past a couple weeks. She remembered what Mina had said about them only being gone for a couple weeks at most. How could that be? The jewel had put them to "sleep" for nearly fifty years, as Nayru had stated after examining the temple once more.

            They reached the hut. Akia and Nayru stopped in front of the entrance. The others stopped as well. A minute later, a middle-aged woman came out smiling. She bowed to Nayru and Akia. She was of average height and also slim. Her blonde hair was streaked with gray and she had warm brown eyes. Akia and Nayru bowed in return.

            "Welcome back Lady Guardian and Lady Akia. The elders are waiting. Please come in. They wish for your friends to come with you." She moved aside the sheet that covered the entrance and motioned them in.

            They walked in cautiously. The hut was big. It was only meant to hold meetings, not to house. At the back sat four elderly humans. Two of them were women and two were men. Nayru stopped in front of them and dropped to her knees. She bowed her head with her hands in her lap. Off to her left behind her, Akia did the same. The elders did the same to the two. All of them raised their heads at once.

            The elderly female who sat to the far left had blue eyes. She wore a beaded scarf around her head. She spoke first. "Thank the spirits you are well Lady Nayru. We feared something might have happened to you."

            The male next to her was bald and had gray eyes. He nodded at the woman's comment. "We are glad to see Lady Akia is likewise in good health."

            Nayru remained the way she was. "Thank you for your concerns Lady Elissa and Lord Nemiss. I am glad the spirits have kept you all well."

            Akia thanked them as well.

            The female to the far right closed her brown eyes. She had her white and gray hair tied in a long braid that was wrapped around the back of her head. Her name was Lady Uri. "Time has passed quickly. Too much time. The Destiny jewel has done this to us all."

            Kagome gasped. She quickly covered her mouth. _'How did they know?'_

            The same female opened her eyes. "Do not be surprised young lady. We know of what has happened."

            Akia looked behind her at Kagome. "The elders have the gift of sight. Though they are unable to control it. They see what is needed to be seen." She looked back at the elders. "You wish to speak to us about the incident that occurred at the temple."

            The other male nodded. He had short gray hair and green eyes. His name was Lord Remel. "We're not sure why the jewel put the spell on the three of you or what spell it was."

            "But we do know that the spell reached this village," continued Lady Elissa.

            "That's why nothing has changed. Aki and I noticed everyone was still the same. I was expecting to find the village totally different," said Nayru.

            Lord Remel looked at Nayru. "You are distressed child."

            The woman looked at her hands. "Yes sir. The jewels are gone."

            "But Talon doesn't have them," finished Akia.

            Lady Uri smiled at them. "We know this. We also know where you may start searching for them."

            Everyone's attention focused on the elders.

            Lord Nemiss nodded. "Where would you expect a child who is lost to head for?"

            InuYasha understood. "It would go home."

            "Yes. The jewels are like lost children."

            Nayru's eyes widened. "The jewels went home."

            Kagome scratched her head. "Wouldn't that be here?"

            "No. They would go back to where they were created."

            Lady Elissa smiled and nodded her head once. "They returned to their sacred places."

            Nayru bowed her head and stood. "I know where we should go. Thank you elders. I promise to get them back and to make sure they don't disappear again."

            The elders bowed their heads. 

Akai did too and stood. "I will accompany her."

            Lord Remel held a hand up before the group turned to go. "Akia, you and Nayru may leave. We must speak with your friends."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Sesshourmaru was sitting on the floor of the hut with InuYasha and his pathetic friends. He was in no way interested in what the elders were going to tell them. He looked at Rin. She looked back at hem and he nodded at her. She understood the look and left, dragging Jaken with her.

            "We thank you Lord Sesshoumaru and InuYasha. And the rest of you as well. You helped Nayru and Akia when they awoke." Lady Elissa bowed her head in thanks.

            InuYasha shrugged. "We didn't realize anyone was in trouble. We found them in a fight, so we helped. No big deal."

            "I did no such thing," Sesshoumaru stated.

            Lord Remel looked at him. "If not for you and your sword, they would still be in that temple and Nayru would have died in the fight against Talon."

            "I don't know why Tensaiga has done those things."

            "Oh, but we do," said Lady Uri.

            The demon lord was startled.

            "But now is not the time to reveal the reason. Nayru must find this out herself for it deals with her mostly," said Lord Nemiss.

            Sesshoumaru sneered. Some help these elders were.

            "Excuse me," said Kagome shyly.

            "Yes young priestess Kagome?"

            "What did you want to speak to us about?"

            "Ah yes," said Lord Remel. "We would like to ask you to join Nayru and Akia in search for the jewels."

            "However," interrupted Lady Uri. "We ask that only Kagome, InuYasha, and Sesshoumaru be the ones to go with them."

            Shippo huffed. "Why can't we go?"

            Lady Elissa smiled warmly at the little fox child. "I had a vision just before we awakened. I saw what made me come to my decision. Something is about to take place soon. I'm not sure what, my vision was mostly about the recent events."

            "Trust us with this request. In time, the pieces will fall together and you will understand," said Lady Uri.

            The woman who had ushered them into the hut walked in.

            "Yes?"

            The woman bowed. "The villagers have announced that they will be holding a feast tonight in honor of the guests who helped the Lady Guardian and Lady Akia."

            Lord Nemiss chuckled. "Always an excuse to have a feast." He looked at the group before him. "You all will be given a place to stay for tonight. In the morning is when Nayru and Akia will leave. They will explain to you their plan later."

            With that, the group followed the woman out. Two warriors were waiting for them. They were the ones who would show them to their shelter for the night. All around people were busily preparing for the feast. Children were helping set up various tables and the adults were preparing the food. The smell of the food they were making was wonderful. Kagome smiled. _'Too bad we have to leave so soon.'_

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**A/N:** Grrrr. I'm mad at myself for taking so long with this chapter. First I had a major assignment due at school, then my birthday came (which I woke up sick with the stomach virus), then I was still recuperating, then I misplaced the disk the chapter was on, then I just got lazy. I apologize for rambling. I've had a tough week. I'm just happy that my friends and family still made my birthday enjoyable. Guess what, it was on Mardi Gras! Anyways, I'm in the process of chapter eight right now. And now I would like to respond to my newest reviewer. Sorry it took so long to respond.

**Tsume Yamagata: **Thanks for reading my story. Glad you like it so far. When I read what you said about elaboration I had just started writing the chapter where I explained some of the stuff. I'm glad you pointed it out to me otherwise I would have just deleted the chapter and started over. I think that's cool about Talon meaning claw and fingernail. And that in Japanese it's Tsume. About your question on the Sess/Aki romance, it was a maybe but not now. Sess is going to be paired with someone else. Originally I was going to have it be an Inu/Akia thing, but I couldn't think of a good way to do it. So Aki is gonna be with someone else (my own new person) and Sess with someone else (again my own new person). You'll probably be able to guess.

I'm rambling again. Well, hope you all enjoyed chapter seven. Please review and let me know what ya think. Till next time…


	8. Promise

**Writing-Angel18:** Hola! I'm back. Sorry this chapter took so long. I've been a bit of a bookworm. I was reading Daughter of the Forest (Book 1 of the Sevenwaters Trilogy) that I bought recently. It was soooooo good. I'm waiting to get the next two. But enough about that, here's chapter 8. I hope those of you who've been reading keep reading it. Thanks to the three people who actually reviewed. Love ya. Enjoy this Chapter everyone!

**Disclaimer: **InuYasha I do not own. This story I do. Nobody shall have any of it unless they have my permission. Gracias!

The Sacred Jewels 

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**Chapter Eight: Promise**

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            The villagers were very generous with everything at the feast. They all made sure the visitors were well taken care of. Kagome was grateful for the pampering they were receiving. After all the hardships they had endured, this was certainly a blessing. She sighed happily as she pushed aside her now empty plate. Across from her, InuYasha was trying to ignore the look a little boy was giving him. No doubt it was because of the peculiar ears on top of his head.

            Next to her sat a little girl who was busy playing with some sort of clay. She was molding it into something Kagome did not recognize. It looked like a person almost. On her other side was a teenage girl who was talking to Miroku. They were actually discussing, to Kagome's surprise, the village. At least he wasn't trying to get her to have his children.

            She was just about to join the conversation when she noticed Akia walking off on her own into the forest nearby. She got up to follow. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Nayru. Nayru shook her head and smiled.

            "She'll be fine. Sometimes she needs some time alone."

            "But what if a demon comes? What if Talon shows up?"

            "Don't worry. Demons have trouble getting past the protection spell I put around this area. And I doubt Talon will show up any time soon. He'll probably be sorting out what to do now."

            Kagome frowned. She still didn't feel right about letting Akia go out on her own. But Nayru knew her better. She was probably right. Anyways, Akia was a warrior. If trouble arrived, she'd be able to take care of herself. She sat back down. She watched as Nayru knelt next to the little girl who was playing with clay.

            "What are you making Rica?"

            The little girl grinned and lifted up her half finished creation. "It's a spirit."

            "Which one?"

            "The spirit of the earth."

            Nayru examined the clay. "Is it really a woman? I always thought it would be an animal."

            "I think it's a woman, Lady Nayru."

            "Why?"

            "Because that spirit is what protects all living things."

            "So do the other three."

            The girl giggled. "Yes, but this one was the one to provided us with life. It created all things living." She looked at Nayru. "You protect life. I think this spirit is a woman because you are. Both of you are similar."

            Kagome smiled and Nayru. "She's very smart for a child. I have to agree with her."

            Nayru stood up. "Rica is smart for her age. And very talented I might add." She ruffled the child's hair. "I'd love to see the finished product."

            Rica nodded and began working again. "I will show it to you when its finished."

            Kagome noticed Nayru glance off to the side. She looked in that direction. Tall trees stood a short distance from the gathering. Under one sat a familiar demon, Sesshoumaru. She saw Nayru start to walk off in that direction. _' Is she going to talk to him? Why bother? He's just going to ignore her.'_ She shrugged and turned to InuYasha. She almost burst out with laughter at what she saw. About four small children were trying to reach up to the dog-ears that had captivated them. InuYasha was trying to cover his head, but was finding it hard with the small hands pulling his arms away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Sesshoumaru sat under one of the many trees, which was outside of the forest, with eyes closed. Off to the side was Ah and Un and Jaken. Rin had gone with the others to the gathering. He felt a presence of someone approaching him. His eyes opened and caught sight of Nayru. She now wore a green dress and cloak. Her hair was still loose. He closed his eyes again.

            "Why are here by yourself Sesshoumaru?"

            He remained with eyes closed. "I see no point in joining a group of humans in a silly gathering. I do not wish to converse with any of them."

            "And I suppose you don't want anything to eat or drink because it's all human stuff."

            He opened his eyes, surprised at how calm she was speaking. The woman just grinned and sat down next to him. He glanced at her. She now had her eyes closed. He became puzzled. Couldn't this human female see that he did not wish to speak with her?

            "I remember the last time a demon visited this village. She was the same. I was surprised that she asked us to take care of her daughter. I guess we were a last resort for the protection of her child."

            "You speak of the mother of Akia."

            "Yes." She finally looked at him. "Why do demons hate humans so much?"

            He frowned. "Why are you asking me?"

            "I don't know. I just felt like I should talk to you. Nobody should be by themself. Not even a demon. Plus, " She grinned. "You don't seem too bad."

            Sesshoumaru looked forward. "Shall I demonstrate the contrary?"

            "I don't think you will."

            He glanced at her again and noticed she was still grinning as she looked up at the night sky. "Why do you say that?"

            "You're curious about something. You'll stick around until you find the answers to your questions. But I can't answer those questions."

            "And how do you know what it is I want to know about?"

            "Your sword reacted to me. If I were you, I'd want to know why. I am curious about it myself."

            The demon lord was still calmly looking at the woman. She was still looking at the sky. He became confused again. Normally he wouldn't hold any conversation with a human. He wouldn't normally allow them to speak to him so informally either. Why was this time different? What made him allow this woman to do so? She glanced at him before rising.

            "Will you be going with us tomorrow?"

            "Why should I?"

            "Don't you want answers?"

            "Will I get them?

            "Probably."

            He didn't say anything.

            "Meet us here in the morning." She began walking back to the gathering.

            "Humans are weak. They are pathetic creatures who don't deserve to live in this world."

            Nayru stopped. "Some demons would disagree. Akia grew up here. She learned something different. I'm sure spent some time here, you would see things differently as well."    She began walking again.

            Sesshoumaru watched her go.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Akia finally stopped walking. She had arrived at the spot she was looking for. She placed a hand onto the trunk of the large tree in front of her. She moved her fingers across the carvings on the bark. The carvings read: _Lady Nayru, Guardian of all. Akia, Demon protector of the village. Talon, Best warrior that ever lived. _She closed her eyes. They were kids when they wrote that. That all seemed so long ago.

            A gentle wind blew. Akia knelt in front of the tree and buried her hands in her face. Too much pain. Too many memories of the past. Two people had always been her friends. One was caring and the other protective. Why? Why did he give in to the jewel?

~*~*~*~*~*~*Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Akia was about six years old. She was skipping down the path that led to the village temple. She was barefoot, a feature she would never lose. She was humming to herself, ignoring the looks the adults were giving her. She never quite understood why they didn't like her. As she neared the temple, someone suddenly jumped in front of her. She yelped as she tripped and fell.

            "Sorry Aki." A boy about nine years old held out a hand to help her up. "Didn't mean to scare you that much."

            Akia glared for a moment until she noticed who it was. "Oh hi Talon."

            The boy smiled broadly. "Watcha up to? If you're going to the temple, I'll go with you."

            "I don't need you to protect me. I can take care of myself."

            Talon looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Don't doubt that. I just want to hang out. Training got cancelled today so I was bored."

            Akia grinned. "I was just going to see if Nayru wanted to go to the forest to play. You can come too. Ever since you started training I haven't seen you much."

            "Yeah, well nothing we can do about that. The elders made it perfectly clear that I was of "proper age and need to start preparing to be a part of the Guardian's Elite.'"

            They both started walking to the temple. It was spring. In about three years Akia would be required to start her training as well. Or at least that's what she thought. As the two kids finally reached the temple, one of the Elders came out to greet them.

            Akia and Talon bowed. "Good morning Lord Remel," they said together.

            Lord Remel bowed back. "Good morning children." He looked at Akia. "Nayru isn't here right now. I believe she went with Lady Elissa to get herbs." He noticed the young demon's saddened expression. "May I ask you something Akia?"

            "Sir?"

            "I know you have three years left until you are ready to begin your training, but we Elders believe that next year you can start."

            Talon was surprised. "But she's too young still."

            Akia glared at him. "I'm not a baby Talon."

            Lord Remel laughed. "Far from it Akia. We think you are strong enough to start. But to be on the safe side, we want to wait until next year. And don't worry Talon, she'll be in your group if it'll make you feel any better about our decision."

            "If Akia thinks she's ready then I won't stop her."

            Akia smiled at her stubborn friend. "I am ready Talon."

            "Then it's settled. Next year you will join Talon in training."

~*~*~*~*~*~*Ten years later~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            "Alright Akia, I want you to show the new trainees how to block."

            Akia stood up and walked forward. She faced her fellow demonstrator, Garren. He glared at her and cracked his knuckles. He never did lose his hatred for her. Not only was she a demon, but she was also a better fighter than him by a long shot. He grinned and got ready to attack. Akia stood calmly. _'Pathetic Garren.'_

            Their former instructor, since they were already warriors by now, motioned them to start. Garren lunged forward to punch Akia, but she saw it coming and caught his fist. He already knew she was going to do that and kicked with his left leg into her gut. She barely noticed this, but was able to move a little and only got some of the force. She glared at him and decided to fight back. She faked a kick. He was about to block it when she suddenly balled up her fist and punched him in the face. Now they both were angry and ready to continue to fight. The instructor stepped in the middle.

            "That's enough you two. I've had enough of this petty hatred you both have for one another."

            Akia was baring her fangs. "It was supposed to be a demonstration. Garren used it as a way to…"

            "Enough Akia. You've been warned about harming a fellow warrior."

            Garren grinned. "That's right Akia. It's not my fault you didn't see that kick in time to block. Guess you're losing your touch."

            "Losing my touch? We aren't supposed to demonstrate blocking kicks to newcomers just yet. Or have you forgotten that?"

            "Akia! I think you've had enough for today. I'll talk to you about your behavior later. Dismissed. You too Garren. We'll discuss your behavior when I'm done with here."

            Akia stormed off. She walked off into the woods by herself, fuming at how unfair some of her comrades were. She plopped down in the grass and lay there staring at the sky. She began to doze off when she heard movement in the grass. She sat up quickly. Talon was walking towards her calmly. He gave her a lopsided grin.

            Akia felt herself blush. She'd been doing that a lot lately around Talon. She looked down at the grass as he sat down next to her. She brought her knees up to her chest. Talon brought one knee up and rested an arm there. Both of them sat there quietly for a few seconds until Talon finally spoke up.

            "So what happened this time?"

            Akia's eyes narrowed at the thought of Garren. "He's such an idiot."

            Talon chuckled. "Oh, Garren again."

            "They let him get away with everything."

            "Not lately. I hear he's being demoted to temple guard. He's been crossing the line too much."

            "Really?"

            "Thought you'd be glad. No more abuse from him."

            "I guess. But he's better at being part of the Guardian's Elite. We need good warriors."

            Talon looked at the young demon. "Warriors have to follow the rules Aki. Break too many and you don't deserve to be one."

            "What about me? Did they say anything about the troublesome demon." She looked at Talon. His eyes were calm, like they usually were when they were alone.

            "Well, there was one thing."

            "Oh really?"

            Talon tried not to grin. "Something about being too stubborn and…"

            She rolled her eyes. "Don't scare me. It thought they were planning to send me off somewhere to die or something."

            "I wouldn't let them do that Aki."

            Akia faced him. She noticed a slight blush form on his cheeks as he looked away. "Really?"

            He turned towards her quickly. "Yes really. You're my best friend Aki. I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I care too much about you."

            Akia stared at him.

            "Sorry. I was just a little mad about how Garren took advantage of the demonstration."

            "Sure you were."

            "What do you mean?"

            The corner of Akia's mouth lifted up slightly. "I think it's more than that Talon."

            Talon's eyes narrowed. "How so?"

            "You've always been over protective. I was like your little sister. You were always there when I was getting picked on. I remember how you beat up all those kids who hurt me that one time. But you've been acting strange lately. Not only are you protective, like always, but also you got mad at the gathering last week when that one guy was flirting with me. Now why is that?"

            Talon stood up. He turned his back to her.

            Akia got angry and stood up too. "Hey, I was asking you something."

            The tall nineteen year old faced her. He put a finger on her lips before she could answer. "I was jealous. I couldn't stand seeing any guy acting that way around you."

            Akia frowned. "Never bothered you before."

            He crossed his arms and looked at his feet. He mumbled something.

            "What?"

            "I said…I said my feelings have changed."

            She didn't say anything.

            "I don't see you as just my best friend anymore. Something else is taking over. I still don't understand it, but I thought maybe…maybe the same thing was happening to you. At least, I hope so. I'd feel pretty stupid if I was confessing all this and then you turn out to feel differently."

            Akia looked at him. He was still looking at the ground. Her expression softened. _'I always thought the girl was the one who confessed first.'_ She placed her hands behind her back and cleared her throat. Talon's brown eyes met her violet ones. She smiled.

            "Is that true? Do you really have feelings for me other than friendship?"

            He nodded slightly. His cheeks turned a little red. He was nervous. Akia was having a little fun watching him wait. She put a finger on her chin and looked up at the sky in thought. She saw his eyes narrow. He knew she was having fun seeing him all nervous. He opened his mouth to speak but she put a hand there to silence him.

            "I'm surprised you told me. I thought I'd be the first to break."

            His eyes widened.

            "Wait." She removed her hand. Her arms hung loosely at her sides. "You shouldn't be afraid that I'd make fun of you for saying it." She looked down. "Because I have the same feelings. I've just been trying to ignore them because…well because I'm demon and you're human. As far as I know, those two don't belong together."

            Talon raised her head with his hand so that she looked at him. "I don't see you as a demon Aki. You've always been just a regular person to me. You never felt like killing off every human in sight. You were never cruel to us. Actually, you're better than most humans are. You're kind; you care about a lot of things. Sure you're stronger than most, but that doesn't mean you're a dangerous killing machine out to destroy us. There's more to you than people can see. They just won't give you the chance that Nayru and I do."

            Akia kept gazing into his eyes. "Know body's said anything like that to me before."

            "Can't imagine why. It's true."

            "Talon…Thank you."

            Talon grinned sheepishly. "Anytime." He dropped his hand and was surprised when Akia hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her. He closed his eyes and kissed the top of her head. "I'm always here Akia."

            Akia held on tight and closed her eyes, happy to be in his strong embrace. "Promise me."

            "I promise."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Akia felt tears forming in her eyes. "Why Talon? You promised."

            "And that promise hasn't been broken."

            Akia whirled around as she stood. Talon was leaning against a tree not too far from her. He had his arms crossed and was watching her closely. Akia gulped back a sob. Talon pushed himself off the tree and walked towards her. She backed up into the tree. He stopped a couple feet away.

            "You always did walk off by yourself when you were upset."

            "So."

            "And you usually came here to calm down."

            Akia looked into his eyes. They were calm. She couldn't look away. "Why are you here?"

            "I was hoping to find you here. Guess I was right."

            "Going to try to get me to join you again I see."

            His eyes became sad. "And like always you'll refuse."

            Akia frowned in confusion. "So why keep trying?"

            Talon took a step forward. "Because I won't just give up on you Aki. I want you to be by my side. I need you by my side."

            "I can't anymore Talon."

            "Why? Because the village says that I'm evil. All I did was take the Destiny Jewel."

            Anger burned inside her. "And what about all those innocents who you killed? What about all those times you fought me and Nayru?"

            Talon looked away. "It's the jewel. You know it was never purified. Good and evil live inside it."

            "What's that got to do with anything?"

            "The evil inside sometimes gets control of me. I can't always stop it from totally taking over."

            "And now?"

            "I don't have it with me. I left it somewhere safe while I came here."

            Akia gave him another confused look.

            "I never got to explain things to you. I never told you about my plan to take it and why. I didn't want to get you involved."

            "I'm a warrior for the Guardian's Elite. What did you expect?"

            "I know. I was hoping things would turn out differently. I didn't think the jewel would have the effect on me that it did and still does."

            "What do you mean Talon?"

            "First let me explain why I did it." He made sure she was listening. "The jewel needs to be purified in order for it to be safe. We keep it locked away because of that. I wanted to find a way to purify it. That's why I took it. That's why I need the other jewels."

            "But why all that talk about power?"

            "The evil inside Aki. I told you it takes over sometimes. It always tries to take over completely when…"

            "When what?"

            He looked into her violet eyes. He was sad still. "When you are around. It's trying to get me against the one person who can help me remain in control."

            "That's why…that's why you need me? To help you remain in control?"

            "In a way, yes." He saw her eyes sadden. "But the real reason is I miss you Aki. It broke my heart to see you torn up over what happened."

            "Talon…"

            "If you won't come with me, then can you do something?"

            "Depends what."

            "Help me find a way to purify the jewel. I don't mean hand over the jewels; I mean help me find out how to purify it."

            Akia nodded. Her eyes were getting watery again. "What happens if the evil takes over Talon? What do you want me to do?"

            Talon kept his eyes locked with hers. "Stop me. Fight me if you have to. Don't let me get out of control. You know me Aki. You know I wouldn't do anything like I've been doing."

            "When the jewel is finally purified, will you be freed of its control?"

            "I think so. I hope so."

            Akia watched him turn to go. She felt a tear roll down her cheek. "Wait."

            He stopped and slowly turned.

            "Promise me…promise me you'll try to stop the evil. Promise me you'll come back to me after this is all over."

            He walked over to her. "I promise Aki. Things will be back to the way they should be once this is over."

            Akia felt more tears fall. "Then hurry up. End this soon."

            Talon embraced her. Akia finally let the tears fall freely. She didn't want to leave this place. She didn't want to leave his warm, strong embrace. He didn't want to leave either. They just stood there. Neither moved. Neither spoke. Off in the distance, the big feast in the village was ending. Soon everyone would go to sleep. And in the morning, the group would be leaving to visit the four sacred sites to retrieve the jewels. Akia would find a way purify the Destiny jewel. She would end the suffering.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

**A/N:** I'm sorry for not warning you about the nature of this chapter. Lo siento. Although I do hope everyone liked it. Don't worry; next chapter is going to be interesting. As far as I know anyways. Okay, so let me help you out with the situation with Talon. Yes, he did take the jewel so that he can find a way to purify it. But wait! Why him you may be asking. Well, that'll come later. Sure there are plenty of people who could have done it, but it has to be him. I love the ideas that have been pouring out of my mind lately. Good stuff to come. Here's a response to my new reviewer:

**RVD:** Thank you for taking interest in my story. As soon as school calms down, I'll be updating more (hopefully). My teachers have been handing out assignments like crazy (mostly projects). Hope you keep reading (and reviewing).

So now I am finished. I now must begin my next chapter. I'm gonna try to get as much done as I can. See ya next chapter!****


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